Antenatal care booked rural residence women have home delivery during the era of COVID-19 pandemic in Gidan District, Ethiopia

by Desale Bihonegn Asmamaw, Yohannes Ayanaw Habitu, Eskedar Getie Mekonnen, Wubshet Debebe Negash

World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that every pregnant woman receive quality care throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period. It is estimated that institutional delivery could reduce 16% to 33% of maternal deaths. Despite the importance of giving birth at a health institution, in Ethiopia, according to the Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey report, nearly half of the ANC-booked mothers gave birth at home. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of home delivery among antenatal care-booked women in their last pregnancy during the era of COVID-19.

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 30 to April 29, 2021. A simple random technique was employed to select 770 participants among women booked for antenatal care. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect the data. A binary logistic regression model was fitted. Adjusted odds ratios with its respective 95% confidence interval were used to declare the associated factors.

The prevalence of home delivery was 28.8% (95% CI: 25.7, 32.2). Rural residence (AOR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.23, 3.34), unmarried women (AOR = 11.16, 95% CI: 4.18, 29.79), husband education (AOR = 2.60, 95% CI: 1.72, 3.91), not being involved in the women’s development army (AOR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.65), and fear of COVID-19 infection (AOR = 3.86, 95% CI: 2.31, 6.44) were significantly associated factors of home delivery.

Even though the government tried to lower the rate of home delivery by accessing health institutions in remote areas, implementing a women’s development army, and introducing maternal waiting home utilization, nearly one in every three pregnant women gave birth at home among ANC booked women in their last pregnancy. Thus, improving the husband’s educational status, providing information related to health institution delivery benefits during antenatal care, and strengthening the implementation of the women’s development army, particularly among rural and unmarried women, would decrease home childbirth practices.